Here it is folks, the new Short Story anthology from Turtleshell Press and Happy Pants Books:

It features myself, and two other great authors you should check out. These six stories feature some thought provoking fiction on the subject of artificial intelligence, and will keep you engaged until the end.

Plus they’re short, so they read quickly and leave you wanting more!

Please check it out, buy a copy, leave a review, and help support this little endeavor. We all would appreciate it and the more we get funded, the more we can do what we love, which is write stories for all of you to enjoy.

The reason I haven’t been blogging as much (or at all really…) is because I was asked to submit two stories for an upcoming anthology of AI shorts. It’s dropping pretty soon and I will definitely keep everyone updated.

Secondarily, I have been in the developmental stages of The Silly Robots Podcast, that will be co-hosted by myself and the Nerdcore Theologian.

We will begin recording episodes within the next month, and hopefully start uploading them in the same timeframe.

Well kids, school is out and it’s time to play! What are you looking forward to this summer?

Dinosaurs?

Superheroes?

Perhaps a good book?

I’m in talks with a small publishing house to get some of my work on the market with some professional covers, editing, and all of the generally good things that authors need. What are you working on? And where in the process are you?

A. G. Riddle’s Atlantis books have become somewhat of a phenomenon recently. So much so, that other authors have been asked to write novels in the Atlantis universe. Nick Thacker has thrown his hat into the ring, and has come out with one of the best reads I’ve had in a while. Read on for a

SPOILER FREE REVIEW…

The Overview

In the Atlantis universe, humanity has spread out to the stars, and started cataloguing the various alien species it has encountered. They keep these species in ships called ‘arcologies’ that house them in environments similar to their homewards. This story takes place on one of the last of these ‘arcs’ and begins with a ship in turmoil. The expedition has been recalled due to a lack of funding, and the scientists on board are not really all that happy about it.

Cue problems.

This puts a rift between several of the characters, and irritates some of them beyond imaginable belief. If I had to really come down on any aspect of this book, it would be some of the characters incessant whining about having to leave the expedition.

All of this is of course escalated when they get locked into the center of the ship together and have to find a way to escape.

And hijinks ensue.

Honestly this is a great read. I finished it in a little over four hours tops. It’s short enough to read through quickly, yet packed enough to leave you wanting more when it ends. There are some fairly decent plot twists and some otherwise surprising elements of the ship that will have you guessing the whole time.

There are tons of songs that can help you learn the art of story. Nowadays the radio is filled with songs that all talk about how much the artists love their boo. Or how good their significant other looks in jeans. Or some other ill fated assault on our intelligence.

But some songs are the result of excellent story telling woven into a tapestry of sound. Check out these songs and let them help shape how you tell a story.

“A Boy Named Sue” – Johnny Cash

The Man in Black always has a way with words. This Shel Silverstein (yes, it’s the guy you’re thinking of) is a geat work of fiction. Let yourself listen to it as many times as you would like.

“The Lighthouse Tale” – Nickel Creek

I dare you not to cry.

“Please Take Me Home” – Blink 182

Ah. Young love lost. And also friendship. And pop punk. Quite possibly the greatest genre of music ever invented. Maybe not. But still maybe.

“Walls” – Emery

A haunting tale of someone who has completely closed themselves off because of scorn from a lover. And an awesome breakdown. The last line tells it all: “These walls…this place…means everything to me.”

“The Ballad of Pancho and Lefty” – Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard

Who doesn’t love tales of Mexican banditos?!

Got any more? There are plenty. Go find your favorite and see what you can learn.

But back to my question: you’ve seen it right? It’s weird. And totally just 60’s music ‘played’ on a weird instrument. There’s even one episode with a whole band of hippies. Look it up.

And I’m sure it was a product of the era that particular Sci Fi was made. Huxley has his ‘Malthusian Blues’, not in a space ship but in a weird future. Riker just plays his trombone. I’ve been told that some of our US Navy ships host bands made of their sailors. Do they do the same thing on starships? And do they have access to current music, or are they stuck with whatever they take with them?

Why don’t we have lightsabers yet? Seems like almost 40 years (WHOA) is enough time to figure out something from a sci fi medium. I mean we had those flip phones int he 90’s after Star Trek. This is a question that bugs a lot of people, and I think I will let Dr. Michio Kaku give his explanation and timetable for his own design…